At a glance
- U.S. CDC's Caribbean and Central America Regional Office (CCAMRO) is located in Panama City, Panama and launched in 2024.
- The office advances regional health security through innovation and strategic partnerships.
- CCAMRO's efforts protects Americans from global health threats by reducing the risk of disease transmission across our borders.
Overview
The U.S. CDC’s Caribbean and Central America Regional Office (CCAMRO), located in Panama City, Panama, launched in 2024 to advance regional health security through innovation and strategic partnerships. CCAMRO works with the United States’ closest neighbors in the Caribbean and Central America to improve the timely detection of emerging health threats and to enhance knowledge and information sharing for improved early warning systems.
CDC CCAMRO works alongside the agency’s network of subject matter experts to reinforce regional partnerships, building on decades of global health accomplishments from our overseas offices in Haiti, Guatemala, Jamaica and Mexico.
This effort protects Americans from global health threats by reducing the risk of disease transmission across our borders.
Key areas of focus
Together with public health experts from CDC headquarters, the CCAMRO works to:
- Fortify strategic relationships with regional health partners such as the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), Council of Ministers of Health of Central America (COMISCA), partner governments, and academic institutions.
- Improve early warning systems for timely global health threat detection and rapid response.
- Improve knowledge exchange and information sharing, as well as peer-to-peer exchange for shared capacity building.
- Strengthen collaboration with regional centers of excellence including the Gorgas Memorial Institute, Panama’s National Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation (SENACYT), Institute of Scientific Research and High Technology (INDICASAT), and the CARPHA Reference Laboratory.
Regional goals
U.S. CDC and partners collaborate to:
- Strengthen existing and develop new partnerships to improve regional health security objectives.
- Improve partner coordination, collaboration, and communication.
- Advance data modernization initiatives through improved disease surveillance and health information systems.
- Strengthen surveillance systems to better understand and predict disease trends.
- Promote public health science and research to ensure evidence-based health policy, guidelines, and recommendations.
- Strengthen the capacity of governments to effectively respond to public health emergencies.
- Improve ability of countries in the region to address vector-borne and vaccine preventable diseases.
- Promote science and innovation in public health.
- Strengthen public health laboratories.